FDA TIGHTENING RULES DEFINING WHAT'S 'LITE'

Supermarkets are full of "lite" foods and "lite" drinks aimed at calorie-conscious shoppers.

But now the federal government is ordering manufacturers to tell us exactly what a "lite" or "low-fat" label means, and it's about time.

For years, health-conscious people have been buying all kinds of products with terms like "lite," "lean" or "low-fat" on the label, all because they're supposed to be healthier for us to eat. But that's not necessarily true.

The problem is that nobody's really sure what these terms mean. The federal government has virtually no standards for defining terms such as "low-fat," "lite" or "lean."

The Food and Drug Administration has never defined what qualifies as a "lite" or "low-fat" food. In fact, people may think they're buying a "lite" product that's low in fat or calories, but actually, it may just be light in color or weight. But now, the United States Department of Agriculture is going to change all that so people can finally start getting some accurate and honest information.

You've probably seen more and more products at the supermarket claiming to be "lite," "low-fat" or "lean." Until now, these terms could mean just about anything. But not any more.

Recently, the USDA clarified an existing law for defining these terms. But the new policy only applies to meat and poultry.

The new requirements will ensure that products claiming to be "low-fat" are naturally low in fat, or that their fat content actually has been reduced.

An "extra lean" label will mean the product cannot contain more than 5 percent fat. And, processors will have to tell you on the label exactly how much fat is in the product.

The terms "lean" and "low-fat" will be used only on products containing less than 10 percent fat. Terms such as "lite" or "leaner" will still be OK, but only if the meat or poultry has at least 25 percent less fat than most similar products. To avoid confusion, all of these terms will have to be explained clearly on the label of each product.

We're going to start seeing these new labels soon. All meat and poultry processors have until March 31, 1987, to comply with the new law. I think the USDA is on the right track. But the entire problem hasn't been solved yet. The new regulation only applies to meat and poultry products. There are dozens of other foods making similar "lite" and "low-fat" claims.